BURNLEY made a flying start to the cross country season on Saturday as the Red Rose meeting at Bury kicked off the local league season.

The Under 15 Boys packed five athletes into the top 10 to win the team event by 10 points, enhancing the reputation earned when they won the silver medal in last year's County Championship.

Now in his second year as an Under 15, Marc Hartley was the mainstay of the team taking third outright, while Michael Crookshanks, Martin Wall and Stuart McGregor made their debuts after stepping up from the Under 13's.

For Michael, a pupil at St Theodores, it was his first major competition, and Martin and Stuart are better known on the track.

Martin, who attends Mansfield School at Brierfield, is a multi-eventer and Stuart, from Gawthorpe, specialises in the 1500m.

After a rare defeat at Skipton last week, Burnley's Danielle Walker returned to winning ways in the girls Under 13's helping her team to second in the team standings.

In the same age group Rossendale were the second boys team with Grant Cunliffe and Daniel Hoyle both finishing in the top 10.

Daniel certainly has the pedigree to succeed, his mum Alison was once Scottish Open Cross Country Champion as an Under 15.

Chesham Playing Fields is a parkland course rather than a traditional cross country, but the going was heavy in places. Steve Duxbury made light of the conditions winning the M45 category and finishing second veteran in the senior race.

Fellow Rossendale man Martin Lee was the highest placed local in sixth, while sixth in the ladies race was Todmorden's Sue Becconsall who finished second F40.

Boys/Men: Under 13: 1 Scott McManus (Bury) 8:41, 9 Grant Cunliffe (R) 9:35, 10 Daniel Hoyle (R) 9:37 Team: 1st Bury, 2nd Rossendale Under 15: 1 Stephen Wibberley (Bolton) 13:43, 3 Marc Hartley (B) 14:05, 4 Michael Crookshanks (B) 14:34, 7 Stuart McGregor (B) 15:25, 8 Martin Wall (B) 15:33, 9 David Eckersley (B) 15:34 Team: 1st Burnley Under 17: 1 Tom Lancashire (Bolton) 19:20, 2 Chris Hart (Burnley) 20:29 Senior: 1 Jason Hodgson (Horwich) 33:15, 6 Martin Lee (R) 35:03, 11 (1st M45/2nd Vet) Steve Duxbury (R) 35:19, 14 (3rd M45/5th Vet) Graham Schofield (Horwich) 35:36, 15 (3rd M40/6th Vet) Thornton Taylor (R) 35:45, 27 Chris Walsh (R) 37:23, 31 (5th M45) Eric Richardson (R) 37:33, 33 (6th M45) Nigel Gotts (R) 37:46, 38 (6th Junior) Chris White (R) 38:10, 71 (2nd M55) Pete Jepson (R) 41:15, 110 (6th M55) John Devlin (T) 46:21 Team: 1st Bolton, 3rd Rossendale Veterans: 1st Horwich, 2nd Rossendale

Girls/Women: Under 13: 1 Danielle Walker (B) 9:08, 9 Jade Hartley 10:38 Team: 1st Bury, 2nd Burnley Under 15: 1 Anna Lancashire (Bolton) 15:28, 6 Alexis Walker (B) 16:39 Under 17: 1 Stacey Standring (Bury) 24:57, 5 Lisa Riley (R) 29:35 Senior: 1 Anne Powell (Leigh) 21:48, 6 (2nd F40/3rd Vet) Sue Becconsall (T) 24:35, 10 (2nd F45/7th Vet) Diane Flemming (R) 25:17, 19 (4th F45) Anne Fox Kelly (T) 27:49, 25 (5th F40) Mandy Goth (T) 29:13, 33 (1st F55) Christine Navan (R) 32:00 Team: 1 Horwich, 3 Todmorden, 4 Rossendale